With wine drinking becoming commonplace, connoisseurs lament the falling off the pedestal of an elite tradition

Wine is the new beer. Everybody is having wine these days, from the connoisseur to the urban professional. It's not just fashionable but now commonplace to talk about wine as casually as you would about cold coffee in the past. But along with the democratisation of the brew comes a growing resentment about it's diminishing worth.

Denizens of Pune who've had more than just a fleeting acquaintance with wine reminisce how wine drinking was once more than just sitting down at the dinner table and taking a few sips of the aspirational drink. "Having wine, especially vintage, used to be a ceremony in itself. Nowadays, it's up-to-the-minute for people to talk about red and white vines and how reds go with red meat and whites with white meat. Most of them have never heard of Bordeaux, Chardonnay or Chateau Margaux wines," says Ritika Ramtri Kumar, pageant coach and soft skills trainer.

What gives wine puritans fodder for their critique of wannabe vintners is that most people are not aware of wine etiquette, which includes using the right glasses and serving the drink at the right temperature. So, while some wines taste best at room temperature, a majority of hosts serve them chilled. "To help you enjoy your wines better, the serving temperature must be right. About 8-12 degrees for whites, 12-15 degrees for light reds like a Pinot Noir or a Beaujolais, 15-18 degrees for heartier reds and 18-20 degrees for mature, full-bodied reds," says Sourish Bhattacharya, executive director, National Wine Academy. "Most people chill all wines, whereas, some wines are best had when they are at room temperature. The attitude to drinking is also very casual. I've been to wine and cheese parties in the city where wine bottles are passed around and guests swig straight from them, whereas it's best had in glasses," adds Kumar.

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